Akin says GOP bigwigs ‘kill grassroots heart’ of Republican party

Ever since Republicans failed to win the Senate majority last November, the GOP establishment has been gearing up to prevent candidates with “Todd Akin problems” from spoiling the party’s chances in 2014.

But the man who has come to symbolize the GOP’s electoral defeat — former Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) himself — warns that efforts by Republican bigwigs to weigh in on primaries will backfire.

“It may be another example of big-government conservatism, to try to bypass primaries,” Akin told The Hill. “If they were successful, it basically helps kill the grassroots heart of the party. I think it’s very non-constructive.”

Akin has kept a relatively low profile since his loss last November to incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill (D), a defeat blamed on his controversial remarks about rape and pregnancy.

But that hasn’t stopped others from talking about the former congressman. His name almost always crops up as a prime example of why it’s imperative for the Republican establishment to be involved in future primaries.